What I’m hearing about the Kansas City Royals at Day 2 of MLB Winter Meetings
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Royals seek two outfield bats via free agency or trade while tracking market.
- Team retained Salvador Perez and Carter Jensen to split catching duties.
- Royals hold sixth draft lottery pick and eye high-level 2026 prospect additions.
The Winter Meetings continue to roll along this week in Orlando, Florida.
While several Major League Baseball teams are making moves — such as Kyle Schwarber returning to the Philadelphia Phillies and Edwin Diaz joining the Los Angeles Dodgers — it’s all quiet on the Kansas City Royals front.
The Royals are looking for offense. It’s known that general manager J.J. Picollo would like to add potentially two bats to the outfield mix. It’s likely to be some combination of a free agent or trade acquisition.
It’s been reported that the Royals are interested in a tier of free agents that include Austin Hays, Harrison Bader and Mike Yastrzemski. They each offer their own value on the open market ranging from versatility to on-base proficiency.
The Royals are very familiar with Yastrzemski. He was a midseason acquisition and thrived in 50 games with the club this past season. The Royals are interested in a potential reunion after Yastrzemski hit nine home runs and provided quality leadership.
Additionally, the Royals are monitoring how the outfield market will move. Schwarber was a big domino that fell, but he is more of a designated hitter. It’s likely the Royals will continue navigating free agency until the right deal presents itself.
“We ranked the free agents and we know who they are,” Picollo said on Tuesday. “Just got to stay in touch with them.”
On the trade front, the Royals still have reported interest in Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran and St. Louis Cardinals standout Brendan Donovan. The ball remains in both the Red Sox and Cardinals’ court.
The Royals have starting pitching depth. However, there is competition and other pressing needs from both franchises at the moment.
It’s important to note that a lack of significant progress at the Winter Meetings doesn’t exclude a trade from occurring later in the offseason.
Here’s a roundup of Day 2 at the Winter Meetings:
Royals will pick sixth in MLB Draft
The Royals hold a pick in the draft lottery for the second time in three years. The Royals made a significant jump after holding just a 0.84% chance for the No. 1 overall spot.
Now, they will pick sixth overall in the annual event.
Last season, KC finished 82-80 and just missed out on the postseason. Now, the Royals have a prime opportunity to add a high-level prospect in 2026.
The Royals have found success with the sixth pick. The club picked Jac Caglianone with the selection in the 2024 draft. Last season, Caglianone made his MLB debut and played 62 games.
“That’s awesome,” Picollo said. “... We probably should’ve been closer to 15th or 16th. To get the sixth pick feels like a little vindication. (It’s) just because we were so disappointed a couple years there with how much we fell when we had good chances and a high percentage to get the first pick.”
The Chicago White Sox won the 2026 MLB Draft lottery. They had a 27.73% chance of securing the top selection.
Royals will look for left-handed relief specialist
The Royals are focused on adding outfield bats at the Winter Meetings. However, Picollo mentioned an opportunity to find a left-handed relief specialist.
“We are keeping an eye on the reliever market,” Picollo said. “I mean, you always want to have a good bullpen. I think you’ve seen when you have three good relievers in the back end, it could be pretty dominating. You are ahead after seven (innings) and the game is pretty much over.”
The Royals are looking for a southpaw reliever who has good numbers against left-handed hitters.
“You hit those pockets in lineups where you know you are probably going to get two out of three lefties or two out of four,” Picollo said. “You want to use that guy in that leverage situation. So that’s something else we are keeping an eye on.”
The Royals currently have Angel Zerpa and Daniel Lynch IV as left-handed relief options. There is an avenue to add one more reliever to that group after fellow lefty Sam Long departed in free agency.
Royals unlikely to add third catcher
It looks like the Royals are content to enter spring training with Salvador Perez and Carter Jensen as the primary catchers on the 40-man roster.
Perez is a franchise icon and Jensen represents the future at the position. Both players are expected to have an impact on the 2026 campaign.
Perez is coming off 30 home runs and 100 RBIs last season. Jensen had a hot September after being called up to the big leagues.
Expect the Royals to have Perez and Jensen split catching duties. Perez will have the larger share of the split, but Jensen will still be involved due to his hitting capability.
A third catcher likely won’t be required. The Royals used Luke Maile in the role after trading away Freddy Fermin to the San Diego Padres, while Jensen got established.
“I think we talked about it because we expect Salvy to DH a lot,” Picollo said. “We expect Jensen to DH at times. It saves you from losing the DH if you have a third catcher. But the amount of times that actually comes up is really small. … We discussed it, but I just don’t know if it makes a ton of sense.”
This story was originally published December 9, 2025 at 6:03 PM.
